Wearable haptic device for the visually impaired

ABSTRACT

This disclosure describes techniques and apparatuses enabling a wearable haptic device for the visually impaired. The techniques enable users to interact with their mobile devices using haptics, both to receive information, such as through haptic projections providing Braille symbols from their devices, and to make selections for their devices, such as through haptic guides. The techniques may also enable users to better move from place to place by providing haptic output indicating objects and impediments to the user of the wearable haptic device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, docket number CS42297 entitled “Wearable Haptic And TouchCommunication Device”, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______,docket number CS42638 entitled “Haptic Guides For A Touch-SensitiveDisplay” and filed concurrently herewith.

BACKGROUND

This background description is provided for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicatedherein, material described in this section is neither expressly norimpliedly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure or theappended claims.

Users of mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, often strugglewith small displays common to these mobile devices. Some users strugglebecause of visual disabilities or impairments, such as those that areblind, have generally poor eyesight, or are older and therefore havetrouble focusing at distances common for use of mobile device displays.Furthermore, some users' visual disabilities or other impairments aresevere enough to restrict their ability to move from place to placewithout assistance, such as walking through an office building, riding awheelchair or mobility scooter on a city sidewalk, or jogging in a park.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Techniques and apparatuses enabling a wearable haptic device for thevisually impaired are described with reference to the followingdrawings. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to referencelike features and components:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment in which a wearable hapticdevice for the visually impaired can be enabled.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed example of the wearable haptic device forthe visually impaired of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a computing bracelet with example haptic devices,both shown in unactuated and actuated states.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example dual-side haptic device.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a dual-side haptic device.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate three other example haptic devices, each ofthese having an outer surface with a touch element, which may beintegral with a touch-sensitive display.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate two additional example haptic devices, each ofthese having an outer surface having an outer electropolymer element.

FIG. 11 illustrates a detailed example of the remote computing device ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method that enables data output and touchinput through a wearable haptic device for the visually impaired.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example method that enables message outputthrough a wearable haptic device, in some embodiments for visuallyimpaired or visually occupied persons.

FIG. 14 illustrates a wearable haptic and touch device havingprojections and Braille text symbols.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example method enabling use of haptics to presentobject-proximity data.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example method enabling haptic guides for usewith a touch-sensitive display.

FIG. 17 illustrates use of haptic guides separating regions to provide aselectable control in each region.

FIG. 18 illustrates selectable controls and regions provided by hapticguides for a smart phone.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example electronic device that can be implementedas a wearable haptic device for the visually impaired, a wearable hapticdevice, a non-wearable computing device having a touch-sensitivedisplay, and/or a remote computing device as described with reference toany of the previous FIGS. 1-18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many users have difficulty using mobile computing devices because oftheir displays while some, because of disabilities or impairments, canbarely use a mobile device and are otherwise restricted due to theirimpairments. Some difficulties are due to the size of the displays,which makes reading information on the display and selecting controlsthrough the display difficult, even for users with no impairments ordistractions. Many smartphones, for example, may have a touch-sensitivedisplay for reading and interacting with the smartphone that is onlyabout two inches by three inches in size. Some mobile devices have verysmall displays, such as computing bracelets and rings, which can beabout one inch on each side. Tablet computing devices generally havelarger screens, from about four by six inches to much larger. Even theselarger-display devices, however, can be difficult to use, such as forusers that are preoccupied or other users that have hand-dexterity orvisual impairments. Furthermore, for users with visual disabilities orother impairments, moving from place to place can be challenging and, insome cases, dangerous.

This disclosure describes techniques and apparatuses enabling a wearablehaptic device for the visually impaired. The techniques enable users tointeract with their mobile devices using haptics, both to receiveinformation from their devices and to make selections for their devices.The techniques enable information to be provided to users even without avisual display or audio output. In some cases, the techniques provideinformation through skin contact. This skin contact can be throughactive use of a user's finger, for example, such as passing a fingertipover projected or exposed symbols (e.g., Braille or other text), therebyallowing a user to read information through his or her finger. In someother cases, the techniques provide information through a skin contactregion, such as a user's wrist. In this case, a user may senseinformation without use of another hand, and thus receive informationpassively. Information provided through the skin contact region to theuser's wrist can, in some cases, enable a user to more-easily move fromplace to place, such as by providing warnings of an object in the user'sway. This information may even provide a map of upcoming objections andimpediments to the wearer, thereby acting as “eyes” on the user'ssurroundings.

This disclosure also describes techniques and apparatuses enabling usersto make selections using haptics. In one case, for example, a user'sfinger is guided to selectable regions of a touch-sensitive displayusing haptic guides. These guides project from the display surface,thereby guiding a user's finger to particular regions, which can aidboth those with disabilities and those that are distracted or unable tofocus on a display surface.

By way of example, assume a user is driving and receives a text messagefrom a friend. The text message is “the meeting is about to start, willyou be here soon?” Assume that the user is driving and thus is unable tobe fully attentive to her mobile device. The techniques can both providethe content of the text message and receive selection of ways in whichto respond, either fully through haptics or in conjunction with visualor audio output. Thus, the message can be provided through a skincontact region, audio speakers, or with a visual display. The techniquesthen provide haptic guides to aid in selecting controls on a display,such as selectable responses: “Yes,” “No,” “On my way,” and “I will belate.”

The following discussion first describes an operating environment,detailed illustrations of various devices and haptic elements, followedby techniques that may be employed in this environment and using thesedevices and haptic elements, and ends with an example apparatus. Whilemany devices and techniques used herein can aid users with visualdisabilities or other impairments, these devices and techniques may alsobe used for users without disabilities or impairments.

Operating Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 in which a wearable hapticdevice for the visually impaired can be enabled. This exampleenvironment 100 includes a wearable haptic communication device 102, aremote computing device 104, and a user 106.

Wearable haptic communication device 102 includes an inner surface 108having a skin-contact region 110, which is configured to provide hapticoutput via contact with human skin (e.g., a wrist of user 106). Wearablehaptic communication device 102 also includes an outer surface 112configured to receive touch input, such as from user 106 selectingtouch-sensitive controls 114 of a touch-sensitive display 116 on outersurface 112. Haptics, as the term is used herein, includes an array ofpossible touch-related output and structures. Some haptics arestructures that are provided and then removed, such as haptic guidesprovided over or through outer surface 112. Some haptics providemore-rapid movement, such as rapidly moving, shaking, or pulsingprojections on skin-contact region 110, which may indicate direction, awarning, reception of a message, and so forth. Further, haptics can beprovided for passive or active reception by a user, such as projectionsover or through outer surface 112 (e.g., Braille symbols) that a userreads by actively moving his or her finger over the projections. Otherhaptics can be received by a user passively, for example as projectionsprovided directly to a user's wrist through skin-contact region 110.Various examples of haptics, including actively received, passivelyreceived, providing output, receiving input, and enabling or aidinginput are described in detail below.

In this example environment 100, wearable haptic communication device102 communicates with remote computing device 104 through communicationnetwork 118. Communication network 118 includes one or more wired orwireless networks, such as a local-area-network (LAN), a wirelesslocal-area-network (WLAN), a personal-area-network (PAN), awide-area-network (WAN), an intranet, the Internet, a peer-to-peernetwork, point-to-point network, a mesh network, and the like. In somecases, for example, wearable haptic communication device 102 acts as acommunication device for one of remote computing devices 104, such ascomputing spectacles using wearable haptic communication device 102 toprovide haptic output to aid a visually impaired person to avoidphysical obstructions sensed by the computing spectacles.

Wearable haptic communication device 102 may also include a speaker 120and a physical vibrator 122. Speaker 120 is configured to provide audiooutput and physical vibrator 122 is configured to provide indicationsthrough vibration, sound, pulses, and so forth. Physical vibrator 122,in some cases, may be included within haptic devices described herein,or may be a separate device.

With environment 100 described, consider FIG. 2, which illustrates adetailed example of wearable haptic communication device 102 of FIG. 1.Wearable haptic communication device 102 is shown with two exampledevices, computing bracelet 102-1 and computing ring 102-2, thoughothers may also be used, such as computing spectacles (excepting atouch-sensitive display).

Wearable haptic communication device 102 includes one or more mobileprocessors 202, mobile computer-readable media (CRM) 204, power source206, network interfaces 208, and one or more haptic devices 210, as wellas elements noted in FIG. 1, inner surface 108, skin-contact region 110,outer surface 112, and touch-sensitive display 116. Network interfaces208 are capable of communicating through various communication links ornetworks noted herein, and may include any combination of wireless orwired transmitters, receivers, or transceivers to enable thesecommunications.

Note that various elements of haptic device 210 and touch-sensitivedisplay 116 are, in some cases, integrated, interchangeable, and/or workin conjunction, descriptions and examples of which are set forth laterbelow.

Computer-readable media 204 includes mobile memory media 212, mobilestorage media 214, mobile operating system 216, and haptic controller218. Applications can be embodied as computer-readable instructions onmobile memory media 212, which can be executed by mobile processors 202to provide operations described for wearable haptic communication device102.

Generally, haptic controller 218 is capable of controlling hapticdevices 210, such as to cause them to provide haptic output based ondata from various sources. In some cases, haptic controller 218 isconfigured to cause haptic devices 210 to provide tactile projections topresent visually or physically readable (e.g., Braille) symbols based onreceived data. This received data may be content of a message, such asan email or short-messaging-service (SMS) message (e.g., text message),or may be other data, such as object-proximity data. For objectproximity data, haptic controller 218 may cause haptic devices 210 toraise tactile projections to indicate to a wearer of wearable hapticcommunication device 102 an impediment or danger. Further, hapticcontroller 218 may raise haptic guides to aid users through visual cuesor physical structures to select regions of a surface, such asselectable controls in regions of a touch-sensitive display. These arebut a few of the operations and functions of haptic controller 218.These and other operations are described in greater detail below.

Haptic device 210 includes one or more of an inner electropolymerelement 220, an outer electropolymer element 222, a touch element 224, acontrol element 226, and/or a visual display surface 228. Each ofelectropolymer elements 220 and 222 can be configured, generally when inan actuated state, to provide haptic output via contact with human skin(e.g., a wrist of user 106), haptic guides, and/or haptic inputstructures. Note that electropolymer elements can include or be integralwith control element 226, in which case the elements can be anelectroactive polymer actuator array.

In more detail, electropolymer elements 220, 222 are capable of reactingto an applied voltage effective to alter mechanics of their material.Electropolymer elements 220, 222 can mechanically contract, expand, orvibrate responsive to electrical energy applied. In some cases,electropolymer elements 220, 222 include multiple elements of ionicpolymer gels, which can be transparent or opaque. Alternately oradditionally, electropolymer elements 220, 222 may be fabricated fromany suitable number of ionic polymer gel elements, which may be layereddirectly with adjacent other elements or separated with a suitableflexible substrate or membrane. For example, elements of ionic polymergel may be separated by an insulating, semi-conductive, or conductiveelement of flexible material (e.g., polymer or polyimide basedmaterials).

In some embodiments, two or more ionic polymer gel elements ofelectropolymer elements 220, 222 have electrical contacts by whichelectrical energy is applied at different locations (e.g., throughcontrol element 226). For example, some portions of the ionic polymergel may have electrical contacts located at various longitudinallocations and other elements of the ionic polymer gel may haveelectrical contacts located at various latitudinal locations. In somecases, a portion of the ionic polymer gel may have a variety ofelectrical contacts at longitudinal and latitudinal locations that aresame as, or different from, locations of electrical contacts on anotherelement. Having a wide array of electrical contacts at which electricalenergy can be applied may be effective to enable precise or efficientcontrol of mechanical action, and thus projections produced byelectropolymer elements 220, 222.

Touch element 224 is configured to receive touch input. Touch element224 can be configured to receive this touch input directly orindirectly, such as through capacitive proximity sensors, resistivesensors, pressure sensors, thermal sensors, and other touch orgesture-sensitive techniques known in the art. Touch element 224 mayinclude voids through which haptic guides can be provided by one ofelectropolymer elements 220, 222. These haptic guides are capable ofdifferentiating regions of touch element 224, such as selectingtouch-sensitive controls 114 of touch-sensitive display 116 on outersurface 112 (shown in FIG. 1). By so doing, touch element 224 isconfigured to receive touch input through the regions of touch element224 using haptic guides provided through the multiple voids.

Control element 226 is configured to actuate and de-actuate one or bothof electropolymer elements 220, 222. In some cases control element 226is an electroactive polymer actuator array configured to actuateportions of the electropolymer elements 220, 222, though control element226 may also or instead use an electromechanical actuator array toprovide mechanical actuation effective to cause projections ofelectropolymer elements 220, 222. Haptic controller 218, for example,may cause power source 206 to apply a voltage signal through an actuatorarray of control element 226 effective to expand portions of innerelectropolymer element 220 through voids in touch element 224 of outersurface 112 to provide haptic guides in visual display surface 228.

Control element 226 may also sense contact with the actuated portions,such as through deformation of a haptic guides or other projections.Thus, on receiving touch input deforming one or more haptic projections,control element 226 may sense the deformation through an electricsignal, pass this information (e.g., an electric signal) to hapticcontroller 218, which may in turn determine a user's gesture.

Haptic device 210 can include various different combinations of theseand other elements, examples of which are illustrated in FIGS. 3-10 anddescribed below.

FIG. 3 illustrates computing bracelet 102-1 with example haptic devices302 and 304, both shown in unactuated and actuated states at 302-1,304-1 and 302-2, 304-2, respectively. Haptic device 302 includes a touchelement 306 having multiple voids 308 (both shown in cross-section andplan views) with an adhesive element 310 connecting touch element 306 toan outer electropolymer element 312. Outer electropolymer element 312includes an integral control element (not shown) and is attached, withanother adhesive element 314, to a substrate 316. When actuated, one ormore portions of outer electropolymer element 312 are expanded. Thisexpansion causes projections 318 through voids 308, which extend beyondtouch element 306. This is shown for the actuated state of haptic device302 shown at 302-2.

Note that these projections can form haptic guides by which variousregions of a touch element can be selected. In this illustration, hapticguides 320 differentiate six selectable regions 322 of touch element306.

Haptic device 304 includes an inner electropolymer element 324 having anintegral control element (not shown) and a substrate 326. Haptic device304 is configured to provide haptic output through a skin-contact region328 of an inner surface 330 of computing bracelet 102-1. When actuated,one or more portions of inner electropolymer element 324 are raised tocreate projections 332. As noted herein, these projections can berelatively large compared to projections 318 formed through voids 308.As these projections 332 are felt on a user's skin (e.g., passively,rather than through movement of a finger), larger projections, movementof projections, and so forth can be useful in conveying content to auser.

Haptic devices 302 and 304 are physically separate, though this is notrequired. Thus, inner surface 108 and outer surface 112 can beintegrated in a cohesive stack, the cohesive stack comprising touchelement 224 of outer surface 112, which is configured to receive touchinput, and skin-contact region 110 of inner surface 108, which isconfigured to output data through haptic projections.

In more detail, FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates dual-side haptic deviceshaving surface integrated into a cohesive stack. These dual-side hapticdevices have a skin contact region of an inner surface of wearablehaptic communication device 102 on an opposite side of a touch surface(e.g., on the underside of a touch element).

FIG. 4 illustrates an example dual-side haptic device 402 having a touchelement 404, an adhesive element 406, an outer electropolymer element408, another adhesive element 410, and an inner electropolymer element412. Dual-side haptic device 402 is shown in an unactuated state at402-1 and an actuated state at 402-2, both in cross section and planviews (shown touch element 404 but not inner electropolymer element412).

Similarly to as illustrated in FIG. 3, portions of electropolymerelements are expanded or raised, such as through voids 414 in touchelement 404 to provide projections 416 or without voids, shown atprojections 418. Projections 418 are provided to a user's skin, such asa wrist or finger in the case of a wearable computing ring 102-2.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a dual-side haptic device, heredual-side haptic device 502 having an outer electropolymer element 504,an adhesive element 506, an internal touch element 508, another adhesiveelement 510, and an inner electropolymer element 512. Dual-side hapticdevice 502 is shown in an unactuated state at 502-1 and an actuatedstate at 502-2, both in cross section and plan views (showing outerelectropolymer element 504 but not inner electropolymer element 512).Portions of electropolymer elements 504 and 512 are expanded or raised(without use of voids) to provide projections 514 at an outer surface(without use of voids) and projections 516 at an inner surface.Projections 516 are provided to a user's skin, while projections 514 canbe sensed by passing or pressing a fingertip, for example, over them.Note that internal touch element 508 is configured to receiveselections, such as through capacitive or pressure. This internal touchelement 508, in some cases, includes display functionality. In such acase, outer electropolymer element 504 is at least partially transparenteffective to enable the display residing beneath it to be visible.

While the example actuated states shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 show manyprojections, these are for illustration purposes, as projections can beselectively provided through haptic controller 218 and control element226.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate three other example haptic devices, each ofthese having an outer surface, such as outer surface 112 of FIG. 1, witha touch element (e.g., touch element 224), which may be integral with atouch-sensitive display (e.g., touch-sensitive display 116). Thesehaptic devices can be integrated with the various other haptic devicesproviding projections to an inner surface (e.g., dual-side hapticdevices 402 or 502), be separate from these haptic devices (e.g., 302and 304 of FIG. 3), or be part of a device not using a haptic deviceproviding projections to an inner surface.

As noted, FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate three example haptic devices 602,702, and 802, each of which is shown in unactuated and actuated states(602-1, 602-2, 702-1, 702-2, 802-1, and 802-2, respectively). Each ofhaptic devices 602, 702, and 802 includes a touch element 604, adhesiveelements 606, and an outer electropolymer element 608. Each alsoincludes voids 610 and projections 612 through those voids 610. Hapticdevice 602 also includes an electro-mechanical element 614 to providevibration and sound, as well as a substrate element 616, thoughsubstrate element 616 is not required. Haptic device 702 also includessubstrate element 616, but excludes electro-mechanical element 614.Haptic device 802 includes the elements of haptic device 702 but has oneof many potential arrangements for voids 610. Electro-mechanical element614 may provide mechanical output, such as a shake or pulse, and may bemade of a layered electroactive polymer, for example.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate two additional example haptic devices, hapticdevices 902 and 1002, each of these having an outer surface, such asouter surface 112 of FIG. 1, but instead of a touch element, an outerelectropolymer element is on outer surface 112. In contrast to examplesof FIGS. 6-8, the touch element (e.g., touch element 224) is placedwithin and beneath an outer electropolymer element.

These haptic devices 902 and 1002 can be integrated with the varioushaptic devices providing projections to an inner surface (e.g.,dual-side haptic devices 402 or 502), be separate from these hapticdevices (e.g., 302 and 304 of FIG. 3), or be part of a device not usinga haptic device providing projections to an inner surface.

Haptic devices 902 and 1002 are shown in unactuated and actuated states(902-1, 902-2, 1002-1, 1002-2, respectively). Each of haptic devices 902and 1002 includes an outer electropolymer element 904, adhesive elements906, an internal touch element 908, and a substrate 910. Each isconfigured to provide projections 912 without use of voids. Hapticdevice 902 also includes an electro-mechanical element 914 to providevibration and sound, and may be similar or identical toelectro-mechanical element 614 as described above. Haptic device 1002excludes electro-mechanical element 914 and one element of adhesive 906.

Before turning to example methods for communications through a wearablehaptic device for the visually impaired, the discussion provides anoverview of example remote computing devices 104, first illustrated inenvironment 100 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 illustrates a detailed example of remote computing devices 104,along with various examples of different types of remote devices,including smartphone 104-1, server 104-2, laptop 104-3, computingspectacles 104-4, and tablet 104-5. Remote computing device 104 includesone or more remote processors 1102, remote computer-readable storagemedia (remote CRM) 1104, remote memory media 1106, remote storage media1108, sensor-data manager 1110, remote operating system 1112, andorienteering module 1114. Remote computing device 104 also includesinput/output ports 1116 and networks interfaces(s) 1118.

In some cases, remote computing device 104 includes, or receivesinformation from, sensors 1120. Sensors 1120 may include one or moremicrophones 1122, orientation sensors 1124, accelerometers 1126, and/orcameras 1128. Thus, server 104-2 may receive camera data indicating anobstruction to a wearer of a wearable haptic device, or computingspectacles 1044 may include camera 1128 and thus sensor data indicatingobjects in proximity to a user, or smartphone 104-1 may includeaccelerometer 1126 and orientation sensors 1124 by which to determine auser's walking direction or speed.

Sensor-data manager 1110 is capable of recording, analyzing, tracking,and/or providing sensor data sensed by sensors 1120 to orienteeringmodule 1114. Orienteering module 1114 is capable of providing data towearable haptic communication device 102 of FIG. 1. This data can becommunicated to a wearer of the wearable haptic device for the visuallyimpaired (e.g., user 106) through haptic output, such asobject-proximity data to indicate to a wearer of an obstruction impedinga current direction of the wearer, a map of various objects that mayimpede the wearer, and so forth.

Example Methods

The following discussion describes methods by which techniques areimplemented to enable communication through a wearable haptic device forthe visually impaired. These methods can be implemented utilizing thepreviously described environment, such as shown in FIGS. 1-11. Aspectsof these example methods are illustrated in FIGS. 12, 13, 15, 16, and17, which are shown as operations performed by one or more entities. Theorders in which operations of these methods are shown and/or describedare not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number orcombination of the described method operations can be combined in anyorder to implement a method, or an alternate method.

Method 1200 enables data output and touch input through a wearablehaptic device for the visually impaired. At 1202, data is receivedthrough a network interface of a wearable haptic device for the visuallyimpaired. Various examples of types of data are described herein, suchas data about a physical obstruction, a text or email message, and soforth. Also, this data can be received through various manners,including via a personal-area network and from a computing devicecommunicatively linked to the wearable haptic device for the visuallyimpaired, such as computing spectacles 104-4, which may provideobstruction data sensed by camera 1128 and provided by orienteeringmodule 1114.

At 1204, a skin-contact region of the wearable haptic device for thevisually impaired is caused to provide haptic output, the providedhaptic output corresponding to the received data. In some cases, thehaptic output includes pulses, vibration, or projections of variousshapes. In such cases, the haptic output may be directional, such as anundulating or rolling projection that is capable of indicating adirection, change in proximity (e.g., by varying a pulsing orvibrational rate), or warning to a user wearing the wearable hapticdevice for the visually impaired.

At 1206, touch input is received through an outer surface of thewearable haptic device for the visually impaired. As noted above, thisouter surface can include a touch-sensitive visual display,touch-sensitive buttons, or touch-sensitive haptic projections. Thus, adisplay may be integral with the selection (e.g., visual displaycontrols with or without touch-sensitive haptic projections) or adisplay may not be used.

At 1208, the network interface is caused to transmit data correspondingto the received touch input. This input can be a response to the datathat was output, such as a yes or no response to a text, email, or otherquery, for example.

Methods 1300 enable message output through a wearable haptic device, insome embodiments for visually impaired or visually occupied persons. At1302, a message having content is received at a wearable haptic device.Note that this wearable haptic device does not necessarily have toreceive and provide input, though that is permitted. Content can be ofvarious types, such as content that can be presented through symbols orcharacters of a language.

At 1304, reception of the message is indicated via haptic output.Reception of the message can be indicated through shaking, vibrating, orpulsing (e.g., using electro-mechanical element 914 of FIG. 9 orvibrator 122 of FIG. 1). This indication can also be indicated bycausing a skin-contact region to provide projections (e.g., points) atan inner surface of a wearable haptic device configured to be felt byhuman skin. This is illustrated by FIG. 14, which shows a wearablehaptic device 1402 having three large projections 1404. Here assume thatthree large projections 1404 indicates reception of a message, thoughvarious types of projections and orientations can be used to representvarious messages or types of messages.

At 1306, a set of tactile projections corresponding to a portion of thecontent are raised. These tactile projections can be raised in thevarious manners noted above, such as through voids or without voids, andas points, ridges, or other projections.

These tactile projections can represent text or symbols, such asstandard-language text or symbols representing the content. Continuingthe ongoing example, consider content of “Will you be late?” for amessage. Assume that a first portion 1406 of the message is “Will you”and a second portion 1408 is “be late?”. For first portion 1406, assumethat Braille text symbols 1410 are determined (e.g., by hapticcontroller 218) and raised at an outer surface 1412 of wearable hapticdevice 1402. These six Braille symbols 1410 include eightEnglish-language characters (including the space), though the word “You”has a single symbol.

At 1308, a scan speed through input received through a scanning touch isdetermined. This scan speed can be determined based on a speed or rateat which some of the tactile projections are touched, felt, or scannedover by a user “reading” the message. Continuing the ongoing example,assume that a user passes his finger over the first three symbols of thesix Braille symbols 1410 (for “W”, “i”, and “l”) at an average of 0.15seconds per symbol.

At 1310, a second set of tactile projections corresponding to a secondportion of the content is raised based on the determined scanning speed.Thus, if the scan speed is 0.15 seconds per symbol, additional symbolscan be presented at that scan speed. This can simply govern how fast asecond set of Braille symbols 1414 are raised to replace the first setof Braille symbols 1410, or symbols can be lower and new symbols raisedone at a time or by sub-portions. Thus, the first three symbols can bereplaced with first three symbols of the second set after 0.45 secondshave passed, and so forth.

As noted in part above, input can be sensed through various manners, andthus the scan speed can be determined based on capacitive touch inputspeeds received over an outer touch element integral with the first setof tactile projections, or based on movement over, or contact with, thefirst set of tactile projections.

Method 1300 can repeat operations to complete the message or, if themessage is complete at operation 1312, proceed to deactivate the tactileprojections at 1314. Deactivating the tactile projections can be afunction of the scan speed and a last portion of the message beingraised, a duration of time elapsing, explicit selection to lower therespective set of tactile projections, or a determination that symbolscorresponding to the tactile projections have been read (e.g., throughtouch input over the tactile projections).

Method 1300 may present text, whether Braille or otherwise, as asuccession, the succession based on a speed and direction of a languagecorresponding to the text. Thus, for most European languages, from topto bottom and then from left to right. Some other world languages,however, follow different directions, which can be determined and usedby haptic controller 218.

Method 1500 is directed to using haptics to present object-proximitydata, such as to a visually-impaired person. At 1502, object-proximitydata is received at a wearable haptic device. This object-proximity datamay indicates an obstruction impeding a current direction of a userassociated with the wearable haptic device, and thus enable the user toavoid walking into the obstruction. For example, data can be receivedfrom computing spectacles 104-4 indicating a direction and distance froman object.

At 1504, tactile projections are raised at a skin-contact region of thewearable haptic device, the tactile projections corresponding to theobject-proximity data. This object-proximity data can be presented as,or with, a warning, such as with three haptic projections 1404 of FIG.14, or with an indication of what to do to avoid the obstruction, suchas haptic output of an arrow (shown in FIG. 1). By so doing, hapticcontroller 218 permits a user to walk without having to see, freeingthose that are visually impaired to more-freely move about.

This object-proximity data may also or instead include a map. This mapmay indicate multiple objects and distances from the wearable hapticdevice. In such a case, haptic controller 218 may raise tactileprojections in a manner to present the location or size relative to theuser. Thus, at a skin contact region 110, objects can be represented attheir size, location, and/or distance from the wearer. Note also that anorientation change by a user, such as by turning his or her head whenwearing a camera from which the object-proximity data is received (e.g.,computing spectacles 104-4) can cause the object-proximity data tochange and thus cause the tactile projections to change. This processcan aid visually-impaired users to quickly understand where objects arerelative to the user, including distance and angle.

In some cases a warning or additional warning is provided, such as whena user is very near an object. In such a case, haptic controller 218 mayshake or pulse the wearable haptic device as noted above.

Method 1500 may operate alone or in conjunction, in whole or in part,with other methods set forth herein. Thus, object-proximity data can beoutput to a user through a skin-contact region while also providingtouch-recognizable text (e.g., Braille text symbols) either at a sameskin-contact region or through an outer region, such as described formethod 1300 and shown in FIG. 14.

Method 1600 enables haptic guides for use with a touch-sensitivedisplay. Method 1600 does not require use of a wearable device, butinstead may be used with various devices having or using atouch-sensitive display, such as tablet computers, laptops, andsmartphones.

At 1602 reception of a message is notified through a computing device.This message can be through the various communication networks andmanners noted herein, such as through an email, social media, or SMScommunication. This reception can be notified through haptic output at asurface of the computing device (e.g., projections 1404 at skin contactregion 110), a shake or pulse as noted above, or through the visualdisplay.

At 1604, haptic guides of a visual display of the computing device areraised. The haptic guides are configured to assist gesture selections ofregions of the visual display.

At 1606, a gesture selection of a first region of the visual display isreceived. Responsive to reception of the gesture, one or more ofoperations 1608, 1610, or 1612 are performed. At 1608, visual or audioinformation associated with the message or a potential response to themessage is presented. This presentation is based on the gestureselection of the first region.

At 1610, the haptic guides are altered, based on the gesture selectionof the first region, to assist in another gesture selection of anotherregion of the visual display.

At 1612, the message is responded to based on the gesture selection ofthe first region. Consider an example where operations 1608, 1610, and1612 are performed. Assume that a user selects, through a gestureselection, one of controls 114 of FIG. 1. On reception, hapticcontroller 218 alters the haptic guides to present other selectablecontrols, and the after receiving another gesture selection of one ofthe other selectable controls, the computing device responds to theincoming message based on the other gesture selection. Thus, for themessage “Will you be late?” a user may select, with aid from hapticguides, between two controls, one for “respond” and another for“ignore”. After selecting the “respond” control, haptic controller 218presents four options with an altered or new user interface to thathaving the “respond” and “ignore”, each with a control in a regiondifferentiated by haptic guides, that of “yes,” “no”, “I will be theresoon,” or “I can't make it.” Assume that the user selects the controlfor “I will be there soon”. Wearable haptic communication device 102then sends a text responding “I will be there soon” to the sender of theoriginal text message asking “Will you be late?”.

Note that visual information can be presented on the visual display, asthe haptic guides can be configured not to obscure the content in thevisual display (or at least very little).

Note that haptic controller 218 may determine where and how to presenthaptic guides. Thus, haptic controller 218 may determine, based on alocation of a selectable control in a user interface, a region of thevisual display surface in which the selectable control resides. Hapticcontroller 218 may then simply surround the selectable control with ahaptic guide. In some cases, haptic controller 218 determines the regionto provide maximum region size for the region and other regionsassociated with other selectable controls in the user interface. Furtherstill, haptic controller 218 may determine the region of the visualdisplay surface based on an importance indicated for the selectablecontrol relative to other selectable controls in the user interface andthus alter the region size based on the importance.

Method 1700 enables selection of haptic guides based on a userinterface, and can be used alone or in combination, in whole or in part,with other methods described herein. At 1702, regions of a visualdisplay surface in which selectable controls of a user interface resideare determined. Thus, haptic controller 218, alone in conjunction withone or more applications providing a user interface or mobile operatingsystem 216, can determine locations on touch-sensitive display 116having those selectable controls.

At 1704, haptic guides are raised above the visual display surface, thehaptic guides separating the regions of the visual display effective toprovide one of the selectable controls within each of the regions.

Consider, for example, FIG. 18, which illustrates smartphone 104-1. Herea user interface 1802 for smartphone 104-1 includes four selectablecontrols, a close-application control 1804, a data-entry field 1806, areduce-application size control 1808, and a re-load control 1810. Hapticcontroller 218 determines these locations and raises haptic guides 1812to enable a user to more-easily select these four different controls.Note that haptic guides 1812 differentiate regions to enable easyselection, even for controls that are near to each other(close-application control 1804 and reduce-application size control1808). Further, in cases where haptic controller 218 can communicatewith the user interface's application and/or operating system, selectionof the region can be considered to be selection of the control, even ifthat control, absent the haptic guides, would not be considered aselection. Thus, region 1814, on selection of any part of region 1814,is determined to select data-entry field control 1806 even though region1814 is substantially larger than data-entry field control 1806.Further, region 1816, on selection of any part of region 1816, isdetermined to select re-load control 1810, even though region 1816 islarger than, and not centered around, re-load control 1810. Also, whilethese example regions encompass their respective selectable controls,haptic controller 218 may provide haptic guides to create regions thatare disparate from, or do not fully contain, the selectable controls.This can be useful for users that are visually impaired or lack physicaldexterity to select small or closely-spaced controls. Such a region isshown at dislocated region 1818. Selection within this region isdetermined to select close-application control 1804.

Note also that haptic guides for a smart phone or other device can beprovided through a peripheral device, such as a display cover capable ofproviding tactile projections. This display cover can be at leastpartially transparent, thereby providing projections while also enablingviewing of the display.

Example Electronic Device

FIG. 19 illustrates various components of an example electronic device1900 that can be implemented as a wearable haptic device for thevisually impaired, a wearable haptic device, a non-wearable computingdevice having a touch-sensitive display, and/or a remote computingdevice as described with reference to any of the previous FIGS. 1-18.The device may be implemented as one or combination of a fixed or mobiledevice, in any form of a consumer, computer, portable, user,communication, phone, navigation, gaming, audio, messaging, Webbrowsing, paging, media playback, and/or other type of electronicdevice, such as the wearable haptic communication device 102 describedwith reference to FIG. 1.

Electronic device 1900 includes communication transceivers 1902 thatenable wired and/or wireless communication of device data 1904, such asreceived data as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Examplecommunication transceivers include NFC transceivers, WPAN radioscompliant with various IEEE 802.15 (Bluetooth™) standards, WLAN radioscompliant with any of the various IEEE 802.11 (WiFi™) standards, WWAN(3GPP-compliant) radios for cellular telephony, wireless metropolitanarea network (WMAN) radios compliant with various IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX™)standards, and wired local area network (LAN) Ethernet transceivers.

Electronic device 1900 may also include one or more data input ports1906 via which any type of data, media content, and/or inputs can bereceived, such as user-selectable inputs, messages, music, televisioncontent, recorded video content, and any other type of audio, video,and/or image data received from any content and/or data source. Datainput ports 1906 may include USB ports, coaxial cable ports, and otherserial or parallel connectors (including internal connectors) for flashmemory, DVDs, CDs, and the like. These data input ports may be used tocouple the electronic device to components, peripherals, or accessoriessuch as keyboards, microphones, or cameras.

Electronic device 1900 of this example includes processor system 1908(e.g., any of application processors, microprocessors,digital-signal-processors, controllers, and the like), or a processorand memory system (e.g., implemented in a SoC), which process (i.e.,execute) computer-executable instructions to control operation of thedevice. Processor system 1908 (processor(s) 1908) may be implemented asan application processor, embedded controller, microcontroller, and thelike. A processing system may be implemented at least partially inhardware, which can include components of an integrated circuit oron-chip system, digital-signal processor (DSP), application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), and other implementations insilicon and/or other hardware. Alternatively or in addition, theelectronic device can be implemented with any one or combination ofsoftware, hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry that isimplemented in connection with processing and control circuits, whichare generally identified at 1910 (processing and control 1910). Althoughnot shown, electronic device 1900 can include a system bus, crossbar, ordata transfer system that couples the various components within thedevice. A system bus can include any one or combination of different busstructures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus,a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that utilizesany of a variety of bus architectures.

Electronic device 1900 also includes one or more memory devices 1912that enable data storage, examples of which include random access memory(RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory,EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), and a disk storage device. Memory device(s) 1912provide data storage mechanisms to store the device data 1904, othertypes of information and/or data, and various device applications 1914(e.g., software applications). For example, operating system 1916 can bemaintained as software instructions within memory device 1912 andexecuted by processors 1908. In some aspects, haptic controller 218and/or orienteering module 1114 is embodied in memory devices 1912 ofelectronic device 1900 as executable instructions or code. Althoughrepresented as a software implementation, haptic controller 218 may beimplemented as any form of a control application, software application,signal processing and control module, firmware that is installed on thedevice, a hardware implementation of the controller, and so on.

In embodiments, the electronic device 1900 includes haptic devices 210as described with reference to FIGS. 1-18. Alternately or additionally,the electronic device 1900 may also include sensors 1120, orienteeringmodule 1114, and sensor-data manager 1110 as described with reference toFIG. 11.

Electronic device 1900 also includes audio and/or video processingsystem 1918 that processes audio data and/or passes through the audioand video data to audio system 1920 and/or to display system 1922 (e.g.,spectacles, displays on computing bracelet 102-1). Audio system 1920and/or display system 1922 may include any devices that process,display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, display, and/or imagedata. Display data and audio signals can be communicated to an audiocomponent and/or to a display component via an RF (radio frequency)link, S-video link, HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface),composite video link, component video link, DVI (digital videointerface), analog audio connection, or other similar communicationlink. In some implementations, audio system 1920 and/or display system1922 are external components to electronic device 1900. Alternatively oradditionally, display system 1922 can be an integrated component of theexample electronic device, such as part of an integrated touchinterface.

Although embodiments of a wearable haptic device for the visuallyimpaired have been described in language specific to features and/ormethods, the subject of the appended claims is not necessarily limitedto the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specificfeatures and methods are disclosed as example implementations a wearablehaptic device for the visually impaired.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving a message having content; indicating, via haptic output,reception of the message; raising a first set of tactile projectionscorresponding to a first portion of the content; determining, throughinput received through a scanning touch of the first set of tactileprojections, a scan speed at which the first set of tactile projectionsare touched; and raising, based the determined scan speed, a second setof tactile projections corresponding to a second portion of the content.2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, whereinindicating reception of the message via haptic output includes shaking,vibrating, or pulsing a wearable device by which the method isperformed.
 3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,wherein indicating reception of the message via haptic output includescausing a skin-contact region to project points at an inner surface of awearable device by which the method is performed, the projected pointsconfigured to be felt by human skin.
 4. The computer-implemented methodas recited in claim 1, wherein determining the scan speed is based on arate at which capacitive touch input is received over an outer touchelement integral with the first set of tactile projections.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein determiningthe scan speed is based on sensing movement over, or contact with, thefirst set of tactile projections.
 6. The computer-implemented method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of tactileprojections form symbols that correspond to the content of the message.7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein thesymbols formed by the first and second sets of tactile projectionsinclude Braille text symbols.
 8. The computer-implemented method asrecited in claim 7, further comprising, prior to raising the first orsecond set of tactile projections, translating the content of themessage into the Braille text symbols.
 9. The computer-implementedmethod as recited in claim 6, wherein the symbols formed by the firstand second sets of tactile projections include standard-language text.10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, whereinraising the first set and the second set of tactile projections actuatesportions of an electropolymer element, each portion of theelectropolymer element corresponding to one or more tactile projectionsof the first and the second sets of tactile projections.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprisinglowering a respective set of the tactile projections in response to: aduration of time elapsing; receiving an explicit selection to lower therespective set of tactile projections; or determining that symbolscorresponding to the tactile projections have been read.
 12. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: receiving object-proximity dataat a wearable haptic device; and raising tactile projections at askin-contact region of the wearable haptic device, the tactileprojections corresponding to the object-proximity data.
 13. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein theobject-proximity data indicates an obstruction impeding a currentdirection of a user associated with the wearable haptic device.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein theobject-proximity data includes a map, the map indicating multipleobjects and distances from the wearable haptic device, and whereinraising tactile projections provides at least one tactile projection forat least one of the multiple objects and at a location on theskin-contact region based on the distance from the wearable hapticdevice.
 15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12,further comprising indicating a haptic warning responsive to a proximityin the object-proximity data being within a threshold distance from thewearable haptic device.
 16. The computer-implemented method as recitedin claim 12, wherein the haptic output provides touch-recognizablesymbols corresponding to the object-proximity data.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein raisingtactile projections provides a succession of Braille text symbols. 18.The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein thesuccession of Braille text symbols approximates a Braille-reading speedand direction of a language corresponding to the Braille text symbols.19. A wearable haptic device comprising: an inner surface having askin-contact region configured to provide haptic output via contact withhuman skin; a network interface; and a haptic controller, the hapticcontroller configured to: receive object-proximity data through thenetwork interface; and cause, based on the object-proximity data, theskin-contact region to provide haptic output indicating a proximity ofan object.
 20. The wearable haptic device, wherein the proximityincludes a distance and direction of the object from the wearable hapticdevice.